In this episode I talk with Ivy about her journey from hating exercise in PE class to enjoying the gym now! It’s a beautiful winding journey from viewing exercise as a way to control her body to experiencing body connection through movement!

If you’d like to learn more about what Ivy’s up to you can check out her fabulous Facebook group by clicking here!
And her websitehere!

Want to explore ways you can connecting with your body through movement? Schedule a free 15 minute Tea and Exploration call with me by clickinghere!

I had such a refreshing talk with Robin about her journey of movement with various chronic conditions. It left me feeling at peace and inspired to keep building my body trust! I hope it will do the same for you 🙂

“When I was on the couch barely wanting to move to use the restroom, let alone to do more, what got me to taking a walk — a pleasant, relaxing one, at that?”

I was graciously given permission to share this Spoonie’s very personal and moving story:

“Garbage. I had to take the garbage out for this morning’s pick-up. While doing that, I kept walking, past the cans (after laying my bags in it), past other homes, into the night.

And that one step led to the next step…

What got me to that one step? What got me to take out the garbage versus delay? The consequence of fruit flies and a big bag of garbage with nowhere to go probably did it.

After the walk into the calm, accepting world and back into my depressed- and anxious-feeling apartment, I felt I really needed an accountability buddy. I didn’t want to fall into the abyss again. Short of an electronic one in the form of an app, I’d have to be my own friend through this. I came up with two whiteboard messages, as follows:

That last has it’s own, dark, backstory. After days of inactivity, I began to realize I could just melt into the couch and spend my days in total isolation, as I have, and it wouldn’t matter to anyone but me. I no longer have any family and friendships have necessarily drifted amidst upheavals and exhaustion of recent life. Being a life-long volunteer and active in the community in an ‘anonymous angel’ sort of way, I’ve oriented to helping impact others; it never occurred to me to matter to myself enough to do something for my own sake.

I made a decision. I am the tree. And I am the forest. And the tree has fallen. And it matters to me that it gets up.

I don’t know how this stuff locked-in yesterday when at other low times, it hasn’t. Maybe I hit some sort of bottom. Maybe I will hit a lower one.

For now, I am grateful to see that my body and moreover my mind are receptive to taking even one positive step, and that leading to the next.”

The person who wrote this story played a vital part in helping me create the Monthly Membership for those with Fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions (Spoonies). The membership site has a variety of short gentle movement videos to meet your unique needs each day. You can hop on and choose just one video that sounds the most appealing. All videos are 10 min. or LESS. Click here to learn more.

If you’re at all familiar with my approach you know I’m BIG on finding exercise you enjoy!! The variety of ways you can move your body is almost never ending!

I highly encourage you to keep looking if you haven’t found what lights you up. I’m happy to have a FREE Tea and Exploration call to help you explore options if you’re feeling stuck!

HOWEVER sometimes the physical activity required for you to build up to activities you enjoy is not fun in and of itself. It’s boring and tedious and so. not. fun!

This could be Physical Therapy exercises to rehab an injury.

Perhaps you’re a book worm through and through and while all bodies like some movement and you want to be able to go on walks through lovely small towns and play with your children, you know that in order to do those with ease you need to move at other times when you just really want to curl up and read a book! Exercise is more enjoyable for some then it is for others. I don’t want to deny this reality.

Perhaps you’re a Spoonie, maybe even a Spoonie that adores exercise. But your condition won’t let you do the movement you love. You know the short easier sessions help you overall and even feel good, but it’s hard to think of them as fun when you really want to be out running or hiking etc.

Bethany wrote a wonderful post about her experience with not so joyful movement HERE. If you have a moment go check it out and then come back, I’ll be waiting with some ideas.

A couple ideas if you’re choosing to do movement that isn’t particularly fun for you:

* Make it as fun as possible. Can you do it with a friend? Play your favorite music? Watch or listen to a show (as Bethany mentions)? Turn it into a game with rewards? Break it up into smaller pieces?

* Experiment with what amount/type gives you the greatest rewards. Perhaps there’s a way to combine exercises so they take less time. Maybe you’re doing more sets then necessary for the outcome you need. Check with a trainer about maximizing impact with less time and more effective exercises.

Can you relate? Are there ways you’ve made it easier to do the not so fun exercise? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

There’s so incredibly much going on this time of year! And it’s so easy to push exercise off until New years!

But hear me out, just for a few seconds, please?

Did you know that movement can actually help with the holiday stress?

Yes, perhaps you did! But you’re still thinking “Ya Right, like it’s going to fit”!

What you might not realize, or may have forgotten, is that the smallest bits of movement can really make a difference!

Here are a few ideas. Choose ONE and see how it goes. You can always come back for more later 🙂

~ Roll your ankles and give your body a full stretch with some relaxing breathes before you get out of bed.

~ Do 5 jumping jacks right after you get up in the morning, or mid morning after sitting, or right before lunch, or right after getting home from work.

~ Dance to your favorite song once a day

~ Do my feel good full body warm up right before you hop in the shower. It takes less then 6 minutes. Or during your lunch break or right after you get home from work.

~ Balance on one foot while brushing your teeth

~ When cleaning do so with music on and move your body with more energy, paying attention to supportive form.

~ Post in the comments your quick movement break ideas!

What benefits can the above bring? Simply put then can help your body FEEL GOOD! From that place of feeling good you can function more efficiently, feel the stress a little less, and perhaps find a smile and get your endorphin’s flowing. Just to name a few.

Many are surprised at the difference just a little can make. And maybe a couple of the days you’ll find yourself with time to do more and lovin’ it!

If you end up doing nothing, please be kind to yourself. Take a breath and enjoy what’s in front of you. You’re awesome whether you move your fabulous body or not.

If we choose to move after a meal I hope we’ll feel the nourishment it brings, the added oxygen helping us to digest after savoring a delightful meal.

Not because we feel bad about what we ate.

And if we choose a nap, may we enjoy it thoroughly!

I wish for us to know that exercising doesn’t have to be in a gym or running or any specific activity.

It can be jumping on a trampoline, dancing, raking leaves, wiggling, ice skating, a stroll with a loved one, tag and so on.

What fun can we have with family and friends? Or nourishing alone time to refresh?

If moving your body without guilt feels way to foreign, can you take a moment to ponder the idea? Simply think about it as a possible option. What might it feel like to move with freedom and ease, to release stress not increase it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have you ever attempted to give up something in order to be more healthy?

When applied to food, drink, TV etc. this is a commonly accepted practice (how helpful those attempts are is a whole other topic). However, when it comes to exercise we often feel the pressure to “never give up!”.

Does your body feel weighed down when you think about exercise?

Is your exercise routine constantly pushing your limits, setting you up for injury?

Are you feeling more tired overall then before you started this routine?

Are you missing out on important things in your life?

Do you rarely exercise because it’s so not fun?

What would happen if you gave up on exercise that you don’t enjoy? Or that isn’t, at the least, giving you direct skills to do other activities you enjoy?

What feelings come up when you think about giving up your current exercise plan? Relief? Fear? A mix?

I adore this bike!

This bike is what I got for giving up.

Inthis post here I share about overcoming some mountain biking challenges by facing a fear and preparing my body. It was a great experience. But what about the rest of the story?

I didn’t bike much after that.

Thankfully my husband suggested that a different type of bike would be more comfortable and fun for me. So we went looking and found the bike pictured above. It was instant love!

I love how my back feels because I can sit up straight and still reach the handle bars. The ease of standing up straight on the peddles while still solidly holding the handle bars when going downhill, fresh air blowing into my face. And more!

Does this bike do well on mountain bike trails? No. Truth is I don’t really like mountain biking. It was great that I gave it a shot and overcame some fears and gained some skills. But it feels really good to just say “it’s not for me” and give up!

We don’t always have to conquer our fears or push for what challenges us the most. Sometimes the greatest benefit comes from giving up. Ya know what? I bike a whole lot more now! 🙂

What exercise are you trying to talk yourself into?

Sometimes it’s so worth it to work through our fears and prove to ourselves we are up the challenge! But I also see us pushing when we don’t need to. When it’s not in our best interest to!

There are so many many ways to move and strengthen our bodies. Changing things up could make a night and day difference! Why not try something different?

Are you pushing because you enjoy it or want to get to the skill level so you can enjoy it? Or simply because you think you should? Being honest about this doesn’t mean you have to take drastic action right away if you don’t want to.

Does giving up feel too scary or are you feeling torn about whether you truly want to do this activity? Some minor tweaks may be all it takes:

~ Try different equipment (like I did with the bike)

~ Find a new location or different teacher/trainer

~ Slow down the movements or shorten the sessions

~ Talk with a trainer to help you modify it to meet you where you are

~ Try something new just 1 day a week or take just a few minutes from each workout to try something a little different.

~ Add music

~ Find a partner

~ Change the time of day

If something feels off but you aren’t sure what to change I’d be happy to chat with you, free of cost and pressure, and see if we can find some ways for you to pivot and test. Grab some tea and we’ll hope on the phone or video chat! Sign up for a tea and exploration session here.